They are a collection of oddities
by Rinusagitora
Summary: Oneshot. Pre TYBW arc, canon divergent. ShuuHina-centric, mentioned badship AiHina, mentioned platonic ShuuKiraRanHina. Rated T for mentions of sexual abuse & NSFW. /She is unused to feeling anything that isn't pain./


_That man_ had always been so distant. Every morning, she woke to his back, and he scolded her if she tried to slip an arm around his broad chest. She froze unless she buried herself under multiple comforters.

She had to do a double check to assure she wasn't dreaming when she woke up in an embrace.

Shuuhei's cheek laid on her scalp and he clung to her like she must have clung to _that man_ months ago. His arms were thin and sinewy like horse legs but he was sturdy. She was small and easily overhung, dwarvish compared to Shuuhei's nigh two meters, but his hold was gentle and loving.

It was weird to be cuddled.

Her fingers, tucked against his chest, traced his cleavage and up to his sharp collar and his throat. Shuuhei stirred as her thumb pet his handsome jawline. She watched him blink, almost nauseated when she worried she woke him. Sleep came sparingly to Shuuhei. It was thoughtless of her to disturb him. But his acerbic scolding never came, only kisses and lethargic hums.

It was weird to be kissed when he ought to be upset with her disruptiveness.

"You're a vision," he mumbled. She smiled bashfully.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," she said.

Shuuhei hummed as he rubbed circles into her back. "It's okay. I normally wake up pretty early, anyways. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes. You're warm, I fell asleep fairly easily." It was hard to toss and turn for hours when she was pinned in place by his hold. Was it restful on the other hand? Her slumber was always plagued by nightmares, so not really.

"I am here to serve as your furnace, and if you choose, your pillow too," Shuuhei said. She laughed. Shuuhei never failed to make her laugh, even after she thought she may never again.

"You're a goofball," she cooed. She pet his unruly hair, and then held his face in her hands. Even while they were silly and playful, there was a weird sense of clarity with Shuuhei. She didn't feel like every hour was a dream, she didn't feel so disconnected from her body. "What do you want for breakfast, Shuuhei?"

"You'll punch me if I say pussy, so how about we stay in bed until we're hungry," he replied. "It's our day off, Momo. Let's act like it and not move until after the crack of dawn."

"Okay," she said. "I'm sorry I woke you. I should've kept my hands to myself."

"Don't be. I can't kiss you if I'm asleep," he told her, and then he pulled her in by the back of her neck and kissed her at least a half dozen times.

It was weird how skillfully Shuuhei navigated her moodiness, how easily he sidestepped her sore spots and flattered the parts of her she liked complimented- her smile, her art, the way she moaned when he played with her loins. It had to be so much work. Shuuhei had always gone above and beyond, whether it be his duty or friendships, but there was already so much on his plate. His patience and compassion were more than she ever deserved.

She thumbed the long, fine scars down the one side of his face. Those had marred his face for forty years, a souvenir of the beginning of their end. Still, she loved them as much as she loved Shuuhei. The memories always hurt. But their pasts were a part of them. If Shuuhei could love her despite her flaws then she could love him despite his.

"I love you. So much," she told him then.

Shuuhei surrounded her from above. His hips fit comfortably between her thighs. While he was hard that morning, he didn't move to pull her apart and push himself in. He made her ache for him when he whispered huskily in her ear about everything he wanted to do with her, but the memory of raw sex ached more. Shuuhei didn't hate her for being a tease either. That was pretty weird too.

"I love you too. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize."

"It's okay. We were both preoccupied, don't you think?" _Those men_ left a bigger mess than they ever realized. They were destruction incarnate, mayhem seemed to follow in their wake. "You have me now," she continued, "that's all that matters."

Shuuhei smiled when she brushed aside his fringe. "It's bizarre when you're nice to me," she confessed. Shuuhei's brow arched inquisitively. "I'm… I'm not used to being showered with praise and affection, and I'm not used to being able to say no. I know it's silly when I tell you and Kira-kun and Rangiku-san that your feelings should be respected. It's just… surreal when I realize that I'm not going to be punished for having needs and wants."

"I get it," he said. "I'm sure you're not being able to say no wasn't the same as mine, but I love you, Momo. I don't want you to feel like shit. I want to love you and I want to be loved by you."

"I must be a handful," she insisted as she scrunched her face.

"Are you talking about your boobs or your personality?"

She snort. "My personality."

"It's not like that and you know it," Shuuhei argued. "You're not baggage. I'm not with you because I pity you or want to get into your pants. Well, I do want to get into your pants, but it's like a package deal. You're the kindest, smartest woman ever, and whatever comes with you I'll take because I love you." Shuuhei sat up then and gesture to her chest. "Now _those_ are a handful. And I love them." He then fell face-first into her cleavage and laughed jovially.

She rolled her eyes. They weren't even that big. Granted, she couldn't deny she liked the attention. Shuuhei's enthusiasm over her little B-cups was a different breed of weird than his love for her.

She pushed Shuuhei off of her and stretched. "I'm making breakfast now," she said. "Is miso soup and rice alright?"

"Sounds good. I'll be out in a minute," he replied.

It was even stranger how loving domesticity felt. Her routine hadn't changed since _that man_ left, but there wasn't the same oppressiveness to every morning. It was weird, and it was wonderful.


End file.
